Actions are louder than words
by DaughteroftheRedKing
Summary: AU. A freak accident leaves Sora with the inability to speak, but how will his older twin, Roxas, overcome this loss? (Rated T for future violence) (Kinda along the same lines of BANG!) Pairings: AkuRoku, hinted SoKai
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hello, my lovely little readers! It's lovely to see you all! (again, possibly)**

**Anyway, this fic was written during Camp NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writers Month) which occurs during April. It's not too bad, actually, so join up next year if you want!**

**It's not very long, either. About...10-11 chapters? If that? I dunno. Hope you enjoy anyway!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts, unfortunately. However, I will own a KH DDD game by my birthday (hopefully) and I'm really excited for KH 3!**

* * *

_It was dark within the cupboard. His breathing seemed loud to his ears as he huddled against the wall, fear pounding through him. A warm arm touched his own and he jumped, then relaxed as he felt his younger twin brother hugging him._

_Just as he moved to hug him back, the door was thrown open, and light spilled in. The two boys gave a shriek, then a hand reached in and grasped his brother's neck._

_"No!" he shouted, leaping at the person, but they just batted him back and squeezed tighter. His brother gave a choked cry, clutching at the person's arm, and he heard himself begging the person to let go, let him go, please..._

_Suddenly the door was thrown open, and he looked up. The person gave a yell and dropped his brother, running for the window and leaping out. A few of the police followed, while one of them came over, kneeling beside them._

_"Are you alright?" she asked, and he gave a nod before looking over at his brother, hugging him..._

* * *

Blue eyes flashed open, and for a moment Roxas lay there, sweat covering his body as his heart rate returned to normal. He sighed, brushing a hand over his forehead.

'That's the third time this week...'

he thought to himself. He only ever got that nightmare when something bad was going to happen..though usually, he had no clue what that bad thing was.

Suddenly he felt something leap on him, and gave a yelp before sitting up. Blue eyes exactly like his own gazed back at him, sparkling with silent laughter.

"Alright alright, I'm up," he sighed, swinging his feet over the edge of the bed. Sora followed him, padding after him as they entered the kitchen.

Sora sat down at the table, looking at him expectantly, and he sighed.

"Fine. What do you want? Usual?" Sora nodded, and he shook his head. "You're so lazy, Sora."

Roxas headed over to the cupboard, pulling out two bowls and a box of cereal. Quickly getting it ready, he placed everything back in its place before grabbing a couple of spoons and walking over to the table. He sat opposite his twin, handing him the second bowl before starting to eat.

Sora gave a smile of thanks then also began to eat. The two sat in silence for a while, chewing on their cereal.

Sora finished first, as usual. He stood up, putting his bowl on the side and pointing up at the ceiling. Roxas nodded in understanding and he grinned, skipping out of the room.

When he was gone, Roxas allowed his spoon to drop. He sighed, covering his face with his hands.

It was his fault.

He'd decided that several years ago, the day that man broke into their house and hurt Sora. As the older brother, it was his job to protect the younger, but that night, Sora had been hurt. Badly.

He wasn't clear on all the details. All he knew was that part of his throat had been crushed, making it so that he could no longer speak. Being too old to really learn sign language effectively, he had to contend with pointing and motioning. It had been difficult for him to adjust, but Roxas had been there with him all the way, constantly patient and urging him on.

Their parents, who both worked overseas in different areas, were concerned when they heard what happened, but were unable to just leave their jobs. Instead, they moved their sons to a safer area, checking up on them daily and sending over reasonable amounts of money for them to use.

Secretly, Roxas had hoped that Sora may one day regain the ability to speak, but the likelihood of that happening was extremely low.

Roxas could hear Sora moving around above him, and sighed. He needed to get ready too...wasn't fair to keep Sora waiting, after all.

* * *

The two of them had moved recently, and today was their first proper day at their new school. Standing infront of it, Roxas swallowed thickly. It seemed intimidating to him; he wasn't looking forward to the whole process of making new friends, having to get used to new classes and new uniforms and new rules. Sora always settled in pretty well, despite his 'handicap', but Roxas was a naturally shy and antisocial person. This was not fun for him.

The two of them headed into the school, having already gone through the whole 'here's your timetable have fun now kids' thing yesterday.

Roxas pulled out the sheet with their lessons on, quickly reading through it. "Okay, looks like we have Maths first," he said, glancing over at his twin. Sora looked over his shoulder at the sheet then gave an inaudible sigh before nodding, looking around in confusion. Then he looked back at Roxas, shrugging.

Roxas gave a chuckle, smiling at his little brother's actions. "It's this way, silly," he said, taking his wrist and leading him down the corridor to the class. Other students walked around them, chatting to each other and ignoring the two boys.

Reaching the classroom, they headed in and took their seats as they waited. They did this every time they moved school; get there a day early, checked to see where the free seats were, get assigned a seat, then take the next proper school day so that they weren't as obvious. It just helped not to attract attention to them.

Eventually other students started filing in, taking their seats and chatting to each other. Roxas' desk was across from Sora's, so he mainly leant over to his brother's desk, writing things into the little pad Sora kept on him. Sora gave a soundless laugh at something Roxas had written, reaching over and grabbing the pen to reply.

Someone sat down in the seat infront of them, but they ignored it until the person turned round, leaning on the desk. The two of them glanced up, meeting aquamarine eyes.

"You're the new kids, right?" he said.

They nodded, Roxas gazing at him uncertainly while Sora offered him a bright smile.

"I'm Riku Takano. You're...Sora and Roxas Strife, right?"

They both nodded again, and Riku looked like he was about to ask some more questions when the teacher walked into the room.

"Alright class, settle down. Everyone, get your books out and I'll call the register..."

* * *

The class was quiet, turned in their seats to look at Sora. He'd gone bright red, gaze directed at the floor. Roxas couldn't help seething, glaring at the ignorant teacher.

"Sora, please stop holding up the class. If you don't know the answer to the question, just say so. Do you know?" she asked.

Sora nodded slowly and she sighed in frustration.

"Then tell us what it is," she said.

Sora went even redder, shaking his head as his body trembled. The teacher scowled.

"And why not?" she asked angrily.

Roxas hated what he had to do, but it wasn't like Sora could tell them. He thought the teachers had been told...apparently, one had been missed. They hadn't wanted to draw attention to the fact so early on, but...

He stood up, standing between Sora and the teacher. Her gaze grew angrier.

"Roxas Strife, sit down, I am not asking _you_ for the answer, I am asking Sora.."

"He can't tell you," Roxas interrupted bluntly, and she briefly looked confused before giving him an angry scowl.

"And why not?" she asked.

"He can't speak."

Sora flinched, a hand raising to his throat as tears entered his eyes. The teacher was silent for a moment as this sunk in, then she went white.

"Oh. _Oh_," she whispered, clearly remembering something. Roxas glanced back at Sora, saw how distressed he was, and decided she really wasn't worth their time. He really didn't care if he got in trouble at this point.

He grabbed his bag, getting Sora's as well before helping his brother stand and leading him out of the room, ignoring the whispers and stares. They quickly headed for a bathroom, making sure nobody was in there before Roxas dropped their bags and turned to his twin.

Sora gazed at him with his cerulean blue eyes, tears filling them. He gave an unhappy sigh and opened his arms. Sora took the invitation, practically throwing himself into Roxas' embrace as his body shook with tears. Silent sobs escaped him, tears soaking through Roxas' shirt.

"I'm sorry Sora," he murmured, hugging his younger brother tighter.

Sora shook his head, his silent way of saying it wasn't Roxas' fault, but Roxas would always blame himself, and they both knew it.

"If I could find a way to make it better, I would. I'd give _anything _to give you your voice back," he whispered.

The two remained like that for a while, Sora slowly calming in Roxas' arms. Finally he raised his head, meeting Roxas' gaze and giving him a watery smile.

Roxas smiled back, hugging him tightly before drawing back. "Are you alright now?" he asked.

Sora gave a little nod, rubbing his eyes. Dried tear tracks were obvious on his face, but he couldn't be bothered to wash them yet.

The door suddenly opened and they both stiffened, turning back as two other boys entered the room. They caught sight of the boys and went still for a moment.

The one on the right Roxas recognised as Riku. His gaze flickered between the two boys, as if realising that they were intruding on something personal.

The other boy Roxas had never met before. He looked a little surprised, but his confident smirk made Roxas' blood boil. His green eyes glowed like a cat's, and his red hair was wildly spiked behind him.

"Well, if it isn't the two newbies. Heard the little cutie can't speak; that true?" he asked.

"Lea," Riku hissed, elbowing him in the side. He turned to the two boys apologetically. "Sorry about him, he can be a bit of a jerk sometimes," he said.

"Ouch Riku, I'm hurt," the boy, Lea, drawled sarcastically. Then he leaned against the wall, gazing over them. "Seriously though, you can't speak?" he asked, looking at Sora.

Sora curled in on himself slightly, and Roxas stepped forward to defend him, when Lea raised a hand.

"Hey, I don't mean to be rude. It's kinda cool, actually. I mean, okay, probably sucks, but it's a little unique quirky thing that makes you special. Got it memorized?"

Riku rolled his eyes. "I really am sorry about Lea. I think he was built with a 'how to insult someone' feature."

Roxas looked between them, then gave a frown. He looked over at Sora, silently asking him a question.

Sora hesitated, glancing back at them, then nodded slowly. Roxas reached down wordlessly, picking up their discarded bags.

"Well, nice talking to you," he said as the two of them walked past, heading out of the bathroom to find a more private place to talk.

As the door closed, Lea looked over at Riku with a smirk. "I want the blondie," he said.

Riku rolled his eyes. "Well, don't freak him out and don't be rude to his brother then. You really won't get far if you do, believe me."

Lea shrugged. "Not my fault he's my type."

"You know the saying; all good things come to those who wait," Riku reminded him.

Lea gave a grin. "And I certainly have been waiting a while to meet that cutie," he agreed.

Riku groaned, face-palming. "Why am I friends with you..?"

* * *

**A/N: So, how was that? New twist! Sora can't speak! ...Instead of Roxas barely speaking in the other fic...**

**And yeesss, this will be AkuRoku. However, it will also be implied Sor/Kai. I'm trying a new approach, people - not all yaoi pairings, but not all straight pairings either.**

**Review?**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: ...I really don't have anything to say.**

* * *

Sora hated the stares the most.

The pitying looks he would get were horrible; they made him feel like it was _wrong _to be like this. He wanted his voice back, don't get me wrong.. but he was able to easily communicate with Roxas anyway, so he didn't really need it to be happy. It just really got to him how everyone seemed to assume that it was bad.

To be honest, what that Lea boy had said was sort of...relieving. To not be judged because he couldn't speak, to be told that he was fine just the way he was...It was refreshing.

He was also pretty sure the Lea boy had a crush on his brother.

Riku didn't seem too bad either. He wasn't freaked out by the fact that he couldn't speak, which made him happy, and treated him as if he was, well, normal.

He hoped Roxas would get over this. He knew his older brother blamed himself constantly for it, but Sora was happy enough. He just couldn't find a way to show Roxas that, and words seemed insincere; Roxas just assumed he was writing it to make him feel better.

Period 2 and 3 passed without much incident, other than the pitying stares, and soon lunch rolled around. The two boys walked towards the cafeteria, expecting to sit alone like they did pretty much every day.

Entering it, Roxas started glancing around for a spare table to sit at. Sora scanned the crowds, on the other hand, and spotted a familiar figure waving him over.

He blinked, then grinned, waving back before grabbing Roxas' arm and dragging his surprised brother through the crowds. They reached the table and Sora sat down next to the silver head, grinning.

"Well hey there, Sor, Roxy," Lea greeted with a smirk. Roxas gazed at him a moment, then looked irritated.

"Sora, are you sure you want to sit here?" he asked his twin. Sora considered, then nodded, hiding his smug grin. Roxas sighed then sat down next to him, opposite Lea.

"How has your day been so far?" Riku asked him as they started eating.

Sora shrugged, waving his hand in the 'so-so' gesture. Riku nodded.

"Been a bit tough?"

Sora nodded, giving a dramatic sigh, and Riku laughed.

"I'm sure it'll be better once everyone calms down about it a bit," he said.

Sora shrugged, biting into his sandwich.

Roxas had watched the exchange in shock. Riku had accurately guessed exactly what Sora meant with each of his actions...he hadn't met anybody except himself who could do that!

"So, cutie, what you got next?" Lea asked him.

Roxas glanced over at him, raising his eyebrow at the odd name, then pulled out the sheet of paper before scanning over it. "English," he replied finally.

"Ooh, we finally have a lesson together," Lea said happily.

"Okayyy..." Roxas murmured, a little confused.

Lea glanced up then grinned, waving someone over. Roxas looked up just as several people sat down in the seats across from them, smiling.

"Hey Lea, hey Riku. Oh, are you two the new kids?" asked the girl across from him.

"Oh, um, yeah. I'm Roxas, and this is Sora," he said.

"I'm Kairi. This is my younger sister Naminé, and my older sister Xion," she introduced, motioning first to a blonde, then a black haired girl.

Sora waved to both of them, smiling, and they smiled back before also waving. Xion turned to Riku and began talking to him, but Naminé pulled out a sketchpad and started to draw instead.

Sora found himself easily relaxing into the group. Roxas was happily chatting away to Kairi, while Lea gave extremly obvious hints that he liked Roxas (all of which Roxas managed to miss), and Xion and Riku chatting together seemed pretty natural. Even the gentle brush of Naminé's pencils against her pad seemed right at home in the group.

He leant forward, trying to get a peek of her drawing, and she glanced at him before smiling and turning it round. He blinked as he realised it was them that she was drawing, before grinning. He looked at her and nodded, and though she didn't seem to completely understand what he meant, she knew that it was positive, so smiled back.

As he sat back, continuing to munch on his sandwiches, he gave a small smile.

This felt just like home.

* * *

He woke to a nightmare.

Roxas groaned as he rolled over, burying his head into his pillows. Again. That nightmare _again_. What was wrong? What bad thing was going to happen? So far, the only things that had happened were good; they'd made some new friends who really accepted them, and most of the people in the school were pretty nice. He thought maybe the bad thing was everyone finding out Sora was mute the way they had, but the nightmare still continued...so what was it?

He sat up, glancing over at Sora's bed. His twin was still peacefully asleep, a smile tugging at his lips even in his dreams. Roxas had never met anyone like Sora; so bright and happy and full of life. Always diving headlong in everything, despite the fact he couldn't speak. He was always so cheerful, even after everything that had happened...It was Roxas who just couldn't get over it.

He hoped he could. For Sora's sake, he hoped he could overcome this.

His mobile rang, the music drifting out, and Roxas quickly picked it up as Sora jerked awake. He pressed the answer button and lifted it to his ear.

"Hello?"

_"Hey Roxas. How are you?"_

"Dad! We're great, thanks."

_"Glad to hear it. Settling into your new school okay?"_

"Mm-hmm! We made some new friends yesterday, so it's going brilliantly."

Sora grinned as he realised who Roxas was talking to, jumping onto Roxas' bed and bouncing up and down like an excited child. Roxas laughed.

"Sora says hi too," he said, putting it on loud speaker.

"_Hello to you aswell, Sora! I heard you made some new friends."_

Sora nodded, and Roxas smiled. "He said yeah."

_"What's their names?"_

"Riku, Lea, Xion, Naminé and Kairi," Roxas listed off.

_"That many friends on your first day there? Keep that up and you'll have the whole school as your friend by the end of the year."_

Sora gave a soundless giggle, then nudged Roxas, nodding to the phone.

"Oh, right. Are you coming to visit anytime soon, Dad?"

He sighed._ "I wish I could, guys. Work's pretty rough over here, and with the weather as it is, a lot of flights are being cancelled too. As soon as I get the time, I'll be over, but until then just hang on, okay?"_

"Alright," Roxas agreed, trying to keep the disappointment out of his voice. Apparently their dad noticed, however.

_"I'm really sorry. I keep trying to book a week off, but everything seems against me at the moment."_

"It's okay Dad, honest. We'll see you soon though, right?"

_"Yup. Count on it."_

"Okay. Well, gotta go, we need to get ready."

_"Alright. Call me if you have any problems!"_

"Will do. Bye Dad!"

_"Love you both. Bye."_

The phone clicked off, and Roxas glanced over at Sora. He seemed a little disappointed, but smiled brightly anyway.

"Yeah, I'm upset too, Sor. But he said he'd visit soon, so that's something, right? Come on, we don't want to be late," he said, getting up and heading downstairs, Sora in tow.

* * *

It had been a couple of weeks since the twins had started school, and they had settled in well. The group was rarely seen apart, working together on school assignments and eating together at lunch, as well as hanging out during break.

Finally, during last lesson on Friday (the only lesson they had together), Lea leant back against the wall.

"You know, we should do something this weekend. All of us together," he said.

Everyone looked at him in surprise. "I thought you didn't _like _socialising," Kairi said, eyebrow raised.

Lea shrugged. "Hey, you guys are pretty cool, I'll admit that. I'm willing to give a try. So, you lot in?"

They glanced at each other, then each nodded. "Sure. Don't see why not," Riku replied with a shrug.

"Where are we going to meet up?" asked Xion.

Lea considered, then grinned. "How about ten o'clock, the train station. Bring some munny along," he added before hurrying back into the exercise they were supposed to be doing.

The others shrugged then went after him, groaning as the teacher told them they were doing hockey.

* * *

Sora tapped Roxas on the shoulder, waking his twin halfway through the nightmare. Roxas woke suddenly, jumping before relaxing as he realised it was only Sora.

"What are you doing?" he asked, yawning widely as he glanced at the clock and realised it was only eight.

Sora rolled his eyes, pointing to the calender. Roxas squinted to see through the sleep-induced bluriness, then realised that they were going to be meeting with the others today.

"Oh, right! Thanks for reminding me, Sora," he said, leaping off his bed and hurrying around to get ready in time.

When he finally came back into the bedroom from having breakfast, Sora was already changed. He was wearing a red shirt with white jacket over it, the sleeves and lining blue. His jeans were light blue, while his trainers were black. His usual accessory, a chain with a crown on the end, clinked around his neck.

Roxas went to his wardrobe, looking through it for something suitable to wear. Eventually he went with grey jeans, black trainers with white soles, a black tank top and black sleeveless jacket with a high collar. A checkered band was around his wrist, and a chain with a cross hung around his neck.

Brushing a hand through his hair, he pocketed his wallet and glanced over at Sora. "You ready?" he asked. Sora nodded, bouncing over to the door and waiting expectantly. Roxas laughed and joined him, the two of them heading out to the bus stop.

They eventually reached the train station a quater hour early, and entered it, looking around. Roxas bought two bars of sea salt ice cream from the vendor, passing one to Sora. They nibbled on the bars as they waited for the others to show up.

Riku came first, dressed pretty casual in blue jeans and a black shirt. He wore a white jacket over it, a yellow stripe going round the edge, and he raised a hand in greeting as he spotted the twins.

The girls were next, giggling together. Kairi wore a strapped lilac dress that came to her knees, and her fringe was clipped back. Naminé wore a black strap top underneath a white dress. Xion wore a white shirt with lilac edges, the strap going around her neck, and a denim skirt.

They joined the trio, waiting for Lea to arrive. After fifteen minutes, Riku sighed.

"He's always late, even when he organises stuff," he muttered irritably.

"He should be along soon though," Kairi pointed out.

As if on cue, Lea came running up. "Hey guys! Sorry I took so long, I overslept," he said with a grin.

"Whatever, idiot. Come on, what are we doing?"

Lea grinned, and everyone looked at him expectantly. "We...are going to the beach!"

For a moment everyone was silent, then Riku gave him an unimpressed expression. "Is that all?"

"Aww, c'mon! It'll be fun!"

"I don't think we've ever been the beach," Roxas mused, Sora shaking his head.

The others went quiet, staring at them. "How could you have _not _been to the beach?" asked Xion finally.

"Well, we've been, just never for very long and not really with anyone," Roxas reiterated.

The group stared a moment longer.

"Well, that settles it. We're going," Kairi decided finally, standing up and crossing over to the booth. The others followed, pulling out munny to pay for their tickets.

When everyone had a ticket, they went to the platform to wait for the train to arrive.

Sora tugged on Roxas' hand, causing the older to turn and look at his twin. Sora's eyes were wide and excited, and Roxas laughed.

"Yeah, I'm looking forward to it too," he agreed.

Sora happily bounced around as they waited for the train, until Roxas grabbed his wrist.

"Save that energy for the beach, idiot," he said with a shake of his head.

* * *

**A/N: Oh Roxas, you cutely naive idiot you.**

**And, next chapter, the epic adventure tooooo...the beach! (Meh, mostly AkuRoku fluff)**

**Review?**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: And now, the chapter you've all been waiting for...the beach!**

**(I apologise for the late chapter, but it was a friend's birthday on Monday and I updated their favourite story for them then...Thus, this is updated on Thursday in it's place)**

**(EDIT: As people keep asking me, I will inform you all that I am _not _accepting OC's. I'm not sure if you're being serious or just trolling me, but the answer is no, you can't be in it.)**

* * *

Sora couldn't stay still on the train. The group weren't the only people on it, so Roxas had to grab Sora's wrist and keep him seated to stop him from annoying the other passengers.

Even though he couldn't speak, Sora still managed to irritate Roxas constantly during the ride by bouncing around and tugging his wrist. Roxas eventually decided to just ignore him, keeping a completely blank expression despite Sora's best efforts to irritate him further.

Finally they stepped off, Sora looking around in excitement. He probably would have run off then and there had Roxas not grabbed his wrist to stop him, muttering something about 'needing a leash'. He looked over at the others.

"Alright then, where are we going now?" he asked.

The group looked at Axel, their resident plan maker, and he grinned.

"Follow me," he said smugly, walking off. The others glanced at each other then followed after him, looking around their surroundings in interest.

The town they were in seemed pretty nice, with plenty of tourists wandering around and a lively air to the place. Sora made impatiently tugged on Roxas' arm, trying to convince him to go down to the beach, but he merely reprimanded him and turned back to following Lea.

Finally they went onto the beach, Sora grinning and running out of Roxas' range. When Roxas went to go grab him back, Lea waved it off.

"Let him be, it's not like he's going to go wandering anywhere. We're pretty close anyway," he said.

Roxas seemed uncertain but nodded anyway, glancing back at Sora occasionally.

They started climbing a few rocks, and Sora ran over, clambering across them. He looked like a little kid, making the girls laugh and the boys give half smiles.

Finally they came to a halt on a little hidden beach. Lea led them over to a little rocky area, pulling out a few bags with towels in.

"I brought these here yesterday. You're all wearing swimming gear, right?" he asked, and they all nodded. He grinned. "Well, the rocks here make pretty good changing areas with plenty of privacy, so if you need to change, go ahead," he offered, before pulling off his shirt. The girls rolled their eyes and walked over to the rocks, going round the corner.

Lea and Riku soon stripped down to their shorts, and Sora was quick to follow them. Roxas kept his shirt on, not really comfortable with being mostly naked infront of a bunch of people he didn't know particularly well.

"You shy, cutie?" teased Lea.

Roxas aimed a kick at him before following Sora down to the water. Riku gave his friend a flat look, and Lea shrugged, still grinning.

"I just can't resist," he said.

"You're an idiot sometimes," Riku sighed before heading for the water.

The group spent a while in the frigid waters, splashing each other and diving underneath it. Roxas, a short while after entering it, left the water to sit on the side and watch Sora.

The action didn't go unnoticed by the others, and after a while Lea went back up the beach to the blonde.

"What, the water too cold?" he asked with a smirk.

Roxas shrugged, eyes never leaving Sora. Lea's smirk faded, being replaced by a frown.

"Roxy, you okay?"

Roxas spared him a sideways glance with a raised eyebrow before looking back at his twin, who happily leapt at Riku and Kairi, pushing the three of them under the water before surfacing again, giving silent laughter.

Lea gave an irritated sigh, before moving infront of him, blocking his view. Briefly Roxas panicked, expression stricken as he looked around Lea for Sora, but he relaxed again as soon as he saw that his twin was alright.

"You know, cutie, you're being pretty possessive. What, not going to let him out of your sight or something?"

Roxas pretty much ignored him, and Lea moved infront of him again. As Roxas went to look round him, he kept moving, blocking Sora from view.

"Lea! Stop it!" Roxas said irritably, though that brief expression of panic remained.

"Why are you so intent on keeping Sora in your sight, Roxas?" Lea asked. Roxas blinked at the odd use of his full name by Lea, and looked at the redhead.

For a moment cerulean eyes met emerald, and there was a moment of silence before Roxas lowered his gaze.

"...Bad things happen to him when no one's looking. He's a klutz," he replied finally.

"I guess, but Riku and Kairi and Naminé and Xion are all there. Plenty of people are looking. So, what's the real reason?"

Roxas' hand twitched, lifting towards his throat slightly, but he caught it and lowered it into his lap again.

Lea frowned. "Does it have something to do with why he can't talk?"

Roxas nodded slowly, not sure why he was bothering to answer. He'd never talked to anyone about it before. Then again, no one seemed to have ever noticed, either.

Lea searched his face for a moment, then grunted as he flopped down onto the sand beside Roxas. Roxas remained still, not sure what to say or do.

"My parents died in a fire, when I was eight."

Roxas looked up in shock, gaze snapping to Lea. The redhead caught his gaze and shrugged.

"I was pretty upset at the time. Dunno how the fire started, all I knew was that I was coming home, the house was burning up, and my parents were screaming inside."

"Lea.." Roxas murmured.

"Weird thing is...I love fire."

Roxas blinked in surprise. Yeah, that was pretty weird.

"I mean, I'm not an arsonist or something, but I don't mind explosions, and I think that fire can be really cool. There's something about it, y'know? Something that's really nice and calming."

For a moment the two of them were silent, then Roxas lowered his gaze. "Why are you telling me this?" he asked finally.

Lea shrugged. "Figured you should know. That you're not alone, I mean. Bad things happen to lots of people. It just depends on how strong you are whether you can get over it or not."

"...So that makes me weak?"

"No. That makes you clinging too hard to the past."

"Isn't that the same thing?"

"Well, not really. You're strong enough to get over it, you just won't. If you were weak, you would be completely devastated by whatever happened." Lea looked at Roxas sideways. "What _did _happen, out of curiousity?"

Roxas was quiet for a moment, before finally sighing. "Me and Sora were ten when a guy broke into the apartment. Mum and Dad both have to work abroad, so they aren't usually home, which is probably why he broke in. Anyway, he was stealing stuff when he realised we were there. We hid in the cupboard, and we thought he'd left when the door opened and he grabbed Sora by his throat."

Roxas trailed off. He didn't want to think any further than that. To continue thinking about how terrified he'd been and the terror that was felt for Sora...

He shook his head, brushing the thoughts away. No. He wouldn't relive though events.

Lea seemed to realise he wasn't getting any further. "Okay, I guess that would make you a little paranoid. But...well, I mean, Sora seems happy enough. Why are you still feeling bad?"

"Because I should have done something."

"Like what? Sora just happened to be the one grabbed; what would have happened if you were the one?"

Roxas hesitated, and Lea leapt at the hole he'd found.

"Would you have wanted Sora to be moping around constantly, day after day, wishing he could have done something different?"

Roxas slowly shook his head, wishing Lea wasn't right.

"So why do you think he'd want the same."

"He doesn't," Roxas replied quietly.

"Then...why do you continue?"

"Because I'm scared. Scared that it might happen again," Roxas finally admitted, burying his face in his hands.

Lea sighed, rubbing his head. "Sorry, I didn't mean to make you upset. I'm just saying, you may be scared, but Sora's really trying to get over this. If you keep clinging onto it though, how is he supposed to move on?"

Roxas sat there for a moment, considering Lea's words, then finally nodded. "O-Okay...but no promises."

Lea shrugged. "I'm not gonna make you promise. I just want you to try."

Roxas sighed, straightening and running a hand through his hair. He looked over at Lea. "You seem to have an idea, at least. Where should I start?"

Lea gave a wide grin. "Why don't you start by going into the water and getting _properly _wet?" he suggested.

Roxas hesitated, then sighed. "Yeah, I guess," he agreed, grabbing the hem of his shirt and pulling it off. He placed it with the others before looking over at Lea, who seemed a little distracted for some reason. "You coming?" he asked.

Lea blinked, giving a grin. "You betcha," he said, standing up and brushing the sand off his legs before running back down to the water, leaping at Riku and slinging an arm around his neck before whispering to the silver haired boy.

Roxas walked into the water, glancing around. "Where's Sora?" he asked.

Kairi looked over at him. "Oh, he went under the water, but he hasn't surfaced yet," she replied.

Before Roxas could start panicking and overthinking anything, there was a sudden spray of water at his feet. He glanced down briefly before his shoulders were grabbed, and he gave a yell as he went tumbling back. For a moment he saw sparkling cerulean eyes before he was submerged into the water.

It was confusion for a moment; water and movement and struggling. Then he felt a hand slide into his and forced his eyes open, gazing into Sora's grinning face.

His twin motioned around him, and he glanced around, a bit surprised by how calm the water was. He could see more than he'd expected; endless blue that sparkled from the sunshine.

He felt his lungs give and covered his mouth, looking apologetically at Sora before rising to the surface. He broke the surface, taking a deep breath as he glanced around, shaking his dripping hair from his face.

A moment later Sora joined him, grinning at his twin. He tilted his head in question, and for a moment Roxas hesitated before returning the grin.

"That was really cool," he agreed, and Sora's grin widened before he tugged on Roxas' wrist, trying to get him to dive under the water again. Roxas glanced back towards the others, then whispered into Sora's ear. Sora blinked then looked at his twin with an evil smirk, one that was mirrored by Roxas.

The two boys dived under the water, and for a moment Roxas looked around blindly, trying to orientate himself. He felt Sora grab his wrist and followed his twin, trusting him to lead him the right way.

A few moments later, he saw their target, and gave Sora a quick grin. Sora let go of his wrist, moving to go behind their target, and Roxas waited patiently. Finally he saw Sora in place and lifted his fingers, counting down to zero before they both leapt out.

Roxas briefly saw Lea's startled expression before he was cannon-balled by the two boys, giving a brief yelp before he was under the water. Sora moved away, silent laughter glittering in his eyes, while Roxas gave Lea a cheeky grin.

Lea gazed at Roxas silently for a moment, before giving a smirk and pushing him off, rising for the surface.

As the two of them reached it, Lea splashed Roxas - a useless effort, as Roxas was already soaked.

"What was that for, cutie?" he asked, pouting.

"Take it as you will," Roxas replied with a shrug, splashing him back before diving under the water again to join Sora.

Lea waded there for a moment before shaking his head and joining with the others once more.

"You certainly know how to push my buttons, cutie," he muttered to himself.

* * *

**A/N: Restrain yourself, Lea! It's not time yet! (And never will be!)**

**But yah. AkuRoku fluff. Gotta love the stuff. I think.**

**Review?**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: The weird thing is, all of my chapters have been just over 2000 words. Usually I'm hard pressed for 1000. I could split all of these chapters up and make it last longer (at this rate, it'll only last six chappys)**

* * *

As lunch time rolled around, everyone finally got out of the water and quickly dried off, changing into normal clothes and heading up to the town to eat. After mulling over where to eat for a while, Sora finally grabbed Roxas' wrist and dragged him over to a café. The others glanced at each other then shrugged, following happily.

The day went by in a blur. Roxas couldn't remember the last time he'd had so much fun, just hanging out with some friends and messing around. He found himself relaxing to an extent that he hadn't done for a while, and Sora seemed to relax as well when he realised Roxas was properly enjoying himself and not just acting to make him happy.

Once they'd eaten, they headed round the shops at the girls' insistance, looking at clothes (the girls) and games (the boys). Sora wanted to buy pretty much everything, and it was only because Roxas had the munny that Sora didn't.

They went back to the beach for a while, keeping out of the water a bit except to wade. After a while of just relaxing, they finally caught a train back home. When it arrived back home, the group got off, waving to each other as they headed off in different directions.

As Sora skipped alongside Roxas, the blonde couldn't help but smile. He'd really enjoyed today. Much more than he'd enjoyed anything for a while.

Sora glanced at him, poking him, and he glanced over. Sora made a vague hand signal; he and Roxas had come up with several to help Sora get across what he was trying to say.

Roxas frowned as he tried to remember what this one was, then smiled as he remembered. He looked at Sora, nodding.

"Yep. I'm happy."

Sora tilted his head, and Roxas gave a faint chuckle before ruffling his hair.

"I dunno why, Sora. I just am. Could you explain why you feel happy?"

Sora considered, then shook his head, and Roxas shrugged.

"See? It's just...something you feel sometimes."

Sora made another hand gesture, and Roxas briefly searched his memory before his smile faded. He stopped walking, hugging himself, and Sora stopped too. His face was apologetic, and he made the hand gesture for 'sorry' over and over.

"I-It's okay Sor. Yeah...there are still the nightmares."

Sora still looked pretty upset, so Roxas gave a vague smile and ruffled his hair.

"C'mon, should we order take out? I let you choose," he offered. Sora knew that it was just a diversion, but he eagerly went along with it, smiling brightly and nodding happily before skipping down the street ahead of him. Roxas shook his head before jogging to catch up with him.

* * *

**A/N: Fluggerkipple! I'm sorry about the short chapter, guys! I was just rereading this document, and it turns out I have this bit called 'part 2', which means new chapter for new POV. Really sorry!**

**Review?**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Here we go! Chapter 5!**

**Disclaimer: I still don't own Kingdom Hearts? Well, who'd a thunk it?**

* * *

Sora woke up with a yawn, stretching widely before looking around blearily. He glanced at the window, seeing that it was still pretty dark, and smiled. Right on time.

He got up and headed over to the drawer, quickly changing into casual clothes and trainers. He carefully made his way over to the door, glancing back at Roxas to make sure his twin was still asleep, then grabbed the keys and went out.

Once he was in the street and the door was shut behind him, he gave a happy grin before starting up the hill. A few other early risers spotted him and waved, greeting him. He waved back, already a common figure at this time.

He reached the top of the hill, going to the grassy area and climbing the tree at the very centre. He pulled himself up through the branches, finally reaching the top, and looked out over the scene.

He sat on his little perch, watching as the sun rose over the edge of town. People started to move around, curtains being thrown open and the street lights switching off. Sora watched it all calmly; this was the only time which was truly his own, and he loved it.

Finally he sighed, deciding he'd been up here long enough. He went back down the tree, jumping from the last branch and landing gracefully. Making sure no one was in his way, he jogged forward. As he reached the hill, he began to pick up speed, strides lengthening. He gave a silent laugh, feeling the wind rushing through his hair as he practically flew back down the street.

As he reached the bottom, he used the momentum to keep him going forward, slowly coming to a walk as he reached his house. He rubbed the slight sweat from his brow, allowing himself a couple of minutes to catch his breath, then unlocked the door and headed back in.

He carefully put everything as it had been before, changing back into his pyjamas and crawling under his covers. Glancing up at the clock, he noted that it was only six.

Another hour for him to sleep, then.

* * *

The alarm clock woke him, and he sat up, pressing the button to make it go quiet. Glancing over at Roxas, he frowned as he saw that his twin was once again having a nightmare.

He got up, waiting a moment before pouncing. Roxas jerked awake with a yelp, then sighed as he saw Sora's wide, mischevious grin.

"Honestly Sora, why do you enjoy freaking me out like that..." Roxas muttered, pushing Sora off him. Sora obliged, clambering off the bed and waiting as Roxas got up. They headed down to the kitchen, going through the normal ritual of Roxas getting Sora his breakfast despite his complaints, then eventually went to get changed.

When they reached the school, Sora spotted the others waiting at the gate. He grinned, waving, and Kairi waved back. Sora happily ran over to them, dragging Roxas behind him.

As Kairi started talking to Sora, Lea nudged Roxas and whispered something to him that only made Roxas look confused. Sora nearly sighed at his brother's complete lack of ability to see the fact that Lea liked him...but he wasn't going to tell him. Let him work it out.

Sora turned back to the red head infront of him, smiling brightly to show her he was listening. She really was beautiful...It was a times like these that he wished he could speak, if only to tell her that, but he knew there was no point to wishful thinking.

Maybe he could get Riku to tell her for him? Roxas would likely stumble over his words or not understand what Sora wanted to say, while Riku could understand Sora almost as easily as Roxas and seemed pretty interested in Xion.

Period 2 was PE, one of Sora's favourite lessons. It was one of the only ones which didn't require talking, just moving, and he loved sports. The coach seemed pretty pleased with him too, so that was a bonus. It was weird, because Roxas was pretty hopeless at any type of activity that didn't involve climbing or dodgeball.

Luckily for Roxas, that was what they were doing today. As everyone went to the centre of the room, the PE teacher, Mr Leonhart - who preferred to be referred to by Leon -, strode up.

"Alright everyone!" he said, attracting their attention and making them go quiet. "We'll be doing dodgeball today, so I want you to get into two equal teams."

As the class groaned and got up, quickly heading to friends and trying to get themselves into roughly equal teams, Sora saw Roxas hesitate. Rolling his eyes, he ran over to his twin and grabbed his arm, giving him a wide grin. He glanced about before seeing the others and dragging Roxas over to them.

Everyone soon went quiet, looking over at Leon. He glanced around, quickly doing a mental count, then sighed.

"Alright, someone from you lot will have to go over to the other group," he said, looking over at the group the twins and their friends were in.

As everyone shuffled about uncertainly, not really willing to be parted, Sora glanced at Roxas. The blonde looked confused for a moment, then understood and blinked before grinning.

Sora padded over to the other group, much to the surprise of the class and teacher. They'd assumed the two boys wouldn't want to be separated.

After a moment of silence, Leon shook his head.

"Alright, you lot, bibs! Get into position!" he ordered, stepping back as the students hurried over to the box with the bibs in.

Once everyone was ready, Leon glanced around. Finally he nodded.

"And...begin!"

The students ran for the balls in the middle, a few half-heartedly and others enthusiastically. As the balls were soon being thrown around, several people getting hit out almost immediately, one thing suddenly became obvious to everyone in the hall.

Sora and Roxas weren't moving.

The two of them stood exactly parallel to each other, exactly the same distance away. They stared at each other, and didn't even flinch when they nearly got hit several times.

A few students, noticing that they weren't doing anything, decided they were easy pickings and threw some of the balls at them, hoping to get them out.

The boys suddenly reached out, grabbing one each, remaining calm as the others flew past them. For a moment they were still, then they drew back before throwing at each other.

Same movement. Same time. Perfect sync.

They would likely have hit each other if they hadn't suddenly snapped out of their little staring contest, dodging the other's shot and running across the field, grabbing some more ammo as they went. What ensued was quickly a dodgeball war; the two boys enthusiasm to try and hit each other rubbed off on everyone else, and soon everyone was squealing and laughing as they hit each other.

Eventually Leon had to call it a draw, because soon everyone was out except the twins, and they refused to throw in case the other caught it and they got pulled out.

* * *

**A/N: soooo...yeah. Weird awesome dodgeball match. Don't even ask.**

**Review?**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: And we finally have plot development! (this may only last another couple of chapters, guys...)**

**NOTE: There is now a poll in my profile for the KH reading fans for which KH story I should work on next. Each option is only a slight idea of what the story is about, as I already have ideas for most of them, but I can't focus on only one at the minute. If you want to influence which one will be written next, please enter it! :)**

* * *

Lots of people didn't really like Mondays, but for Sora, they were one of his favourite days of the week. He got to do two subjects he really liked in the same day, PE and ICT, and at those times he felt like a completely normal kid.

The teachers had all grown to quite like him as well. Although he couldn't contribute verbally to the class, he would happily hand out sheets and books or carry things to and from offices. He was a generally cheerful child, and even without his speech, he was quite obviously smart.

There were very few times Sora and Roxas were separated in lessons. The few lessons they had apart were ICT, DT, Geography and History. Sora also did Music while Roxas did Art, which were both at the same time, so that was another lesson.

It was during Sora's ICT lesson that the teacher, Cid Highwind, gave a grunt as he was shuffling through his papers.

"Darn it..forgot those papers.." he muttered to himself. He glanced up, eyes scanning the class, then they landed on Sora and he nodded the boy over.

Sora stood up from where he was designing a website for their recent project, crossing over the classroom to Cid.

"I need ya to go to my office, pick up some papers. Should be on my desk, they say your class on 'em, so should be easy to spot. Can ya go get 'em?"

Sora nodded, smiling brightly, then turned and headed out of the room. He went to the office, quickly finding the documents he needed, and started back for the classroom.

"Oh, Sora!" a voice called, and he turned. The receptionist waved him over and padded towards her, stopping at the desk next to a tall man wearing a trenchcoat.

Sora tilted his head in question, and she smiled. "You're in Mr Highwind's class right now, aren't you?"

Sora nodded, smiling, and she breathed in relief.

"Would you be able to take this to him?" she asked, handing him a sheet of paper, and he nodded. Giving her a bright smile, he turned to head off. The man suddenly bumped into him, sending him stumbling back.

"Oh, sorry," the man apologised. Sora looked up, smiling and shaking his head to show it was okay before trotting off back to his class.

As soon as he was out of the man's sight, he shivered, clutching the sheets tighter. That man...didn't feel right. At all.

* * *

As the groups headed between lessons, Sora and Roxas met up. Roxas seemed to realise something was wrong with his twin, but Sora just waved it off, certain it was nothing. He quickly made the gesture for 'I'm fine', but Roxas didn't look convinced.

As they headed to their lessons, they bumped into Lea and Riku coming from the opposite end.

"Hey Sor, hey cutie," Lea said as Riku raised a hand in greeting. Sora smiled as Roxas waved back. The two groups stopped infront of each other, Riku asking if Sora was okay, but Sora waved it off again.

Lea rubbed the back of his head as he looked over at Roxas. "Hey, Roxy... You need to be anywhere urgently after school?" he asked.

"I don't think so. Why?" asked Roxas.

"Could you meet me out back after school?"

"Um..okay," Roxas replied, looking confused. Sora stared at Lea then looked at Riku, a question in his eyes. Riku nodded and Sora grinned. He would have punched the air, but that would have just made Roxas bug him.

They headed off for their lessons, leaving Roxas to ponder Lea's request and Sora in his bubble of happiness.

The end of the day soon came about, and Sora practically dragged Roxas outside and to the back of the school. Lea was waiting, and looked a little surprised to see Sora there. The brunette gave a wave, winked at Roxas, then scampered off to hide round a corner and watch.

He was surprised when he was joined by Riku, Kairi, Naminé and Xion. The others nodded to him then peeked around the corner.

Sora looked out, keeping his eyes trained on his brother. He could at least gauge his reaction to the question that way.

Lea looked a little hesitant, but finally blurted out something to Roxas. Roxas blinked, then went red. His mouth moved, and Sora quickly read it.

_'Are you serious?'_

Lea nodded slowly, then rubbed his arm. Sora glanced back over at him to read his lips.

_'I understand if you say no. Hell, you might not even be interested in guys, and I'm just a freak to you.'_

Sora rolled his eyes. Little did his red-head friend know that Roxas had long since discovered he was gay.

He went back to scrutinizing Roxas' face, trying to guess what he was going to say. He'd never really been open about the fact that he was gay, and Sora only knew because Roxas blurted it out at dinner one day. He'd always been worried about being hurt or bullied by others. Now that another boy had confessed _his _feelings first, how would Roxas react?

His first reaction was to turn even redder and fiddle with the checkered band around his wrist. He made a few stuttered sentences, went redder, then gazed down at the ground.

Sora blinked, then grinned.

_'I knew you liked him,'_ he thought to himself.

The others noticed his smile and looked confused. They knew that Roxas hadn't said yes yet, so why was Sora already so confident?

Roxas took a breath, clenching his fingers slightly before looking up at Lea. The red-head blinked as emerald met cerulean, and for a moment they gazed at each other.

Finally Roxas relaxed, allowing a gentle smile to flicker onto his face. Lea felt red rise to his cheeks, and tried to push it down.

"I-I'd love to," he murmured finally.

Lea blinked then went a little red, scratching his cheek. "G-Great.." he said, looking a little embarassed.

Sora nodded his head then grabbed Kairi and Riku's wrists, dragging them away. Xion and Naminé quietly followed, obviously understanding that the two boys needed a bit of privacy.

_'Guess I better head home now...I'll start making dinner. Dunno when Roxas will be back.'_

* * *

**A/N: Did you see that plot development? Huh? DID YOU?!**

**(It was that little bit at the start...)**

**:3**

**Anyways, Roxy and Lea are official! Awww! Sora still doesn't get a girlfriend yet, though...**

**Meh.**

**Review?**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: More plot development!**

**Note: Guys, please. I've had two people vote on that poll (thank you to whoever you were!) I'd like at least a couple more people. Pleeeease?**

* * *

Sora parted from the others, waving goodbye to them before starting down the street. He looked around happily, feeling better than he had earlier.

He'd almost forgotten about the man when he heard footsteps behind him. Stiffening then glancing back, he stared at the man in the trench coat. The man wasn't looking at him, instead gazing over the road at the houses as he continued to walk, but Sora was still a little nervous. He was still getting that bad feeling from him, and it didn't reassure him in the slightest.

Glancing around, he was glad to see there were a few other people on the street. Plus, he wasn't too far from home.

Suddenly taking off, he began to run up the road towards his house, turning a couple of corners. Some people called out greetings again, surprised to see him running at this hour but recognising him easily enough.

As he glanced over his shoulder, he was glad to see that the man hadn't tried to follow. He quickly unlocked his door and crept in, closing and locking it behind him before sinking to the floor, letting out a shaky breath and wishing Roxas was there with him.

* * *

Roxas arrived home a little later, still embarrassed over Lea revealing his feelings but happy, too. He reached for the handle, pulling it, then frowned as he realised it was locked. That was weird...Sora never locked the door if he knew Roxas was coming back after him.

Reaching for his pocket, he pulled out his keys and placed them in the lock. He turned it, pulling the door open, then blinked as he saw Sora curled up against the wall.

"Sora?" he asked worriedly, kneeling beside his twin.

Sora slowly raised his head, gazing at Roxas for a moment. Then tears entered his eyes and he leapt forward, hugging him and crying.

Roxas was surprised by the action, but gently rocked Sora, waiting it out. He wasn't sure what happened, but he would wait until Sora was ready to tell him.

Eventually Sora calmed, pulling back and rubbing his eyes. He signed 'I'm sorry' to Roxas, but Roxas brushed it off.

"It's fine. Come on, why don't you just write down what's been bothering you?" he asked, leading Sora to the kitchen. As they settled down, Sora hesitated then pulled out his notebook and pen. He slowly began to write down what had happened, eventually turning it round and passing it to Roxas.

Roxas read through it, frowning the further he got.

"So...you were freaking because a guy you saw in school that gave you a bad feeling was behind you when you walked back?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Sora fidgeted, inwardly sighing. He should have known Roxas wouldn't believe him.

"I get that you're upset, Sora, but...it could be really simple. An easy explanation."

Sora shook his head. He didn't know why, he just knew that man was trouble somehow.

Roxas bit his lip. "Okay. We'll be a bit more careful, and I'll try and see if I can find out who he is, but Sora...I can't promise anything, okay?"

Sora nodded. He knew that already. He wasn't expecting a miracle. He just wanted Roxas to be _aware_.

Roxas saw that he was still a bit shaken and stood. "I'll make us some dinner. You just stay there, alright?" he said, crossing over to the cooker. As he looked through the packets, he wondered how he could have gone from feeling so happy to so worried in such a short amount of time.

* * *

Sora didn't want to go school the next day, and it took Roxas some time to finally convince him. Eventually he just went outside, figuring he could go to school alone, but Sora didn't want Roxas on his own and quickly followed him out.

They soon reached the school, meeting up with others. Roxas was a little shy around Lea, but he quickly solved it by slinging an arm over his shoulder and giving him a light peck on the cheek. This caused Roxas to go red, but made a wide grin come to Sora's face.

As the day went on, Sora began to relax. Maybe Roxas was right, maybe it was all just a big coincidence and he was over-reacting. It wouldn't be the first time, after all.

He just couldn't shake the feeling that he'd met that man before.

He was running a little late for Music, having been hanging around with the others on the wrong side of the school. Out of their group, he was the only one who took Music (other than Xion, but she was in the year above), so he was a little way away.

He hurried for the classroom, the corridors almost completely empty. He rounded a corner and bumped into someone. Stumbling back, he looked up to wave an apology before stiffening.

The man gave a smirk. "Hello...Strife."

Sora's eyes widened as he suddenly realised where he knew the man from. This...this was the person who broke into their house...!

He backed away, fear rising in him. The man gave a smirk as he came forward, reaching for him. Sora glanced down the corridor, but no one was there. He couldn't call for help. So he did the only thing he could.

He ran.

* * *

**A/N: I almost feel sorry for you, Sora. Almost. But this is for the good of the story.**

**Did you know, this entire story is plot relevant? No fluff, no fillers, nothing. Just good ol' plot.**

**Review?**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Mmmm...I'm not sure if this will last another chapter or not. It might, actually.**

**Sorry about the late update, I got distracted by Fire Emblem *nervous laugh***

* * *

Roxas was doodling away in Art, not really trying to match Naminé considering how good she was. His drawings weren't bad, she was just really, really good.

The door suddenly slammed open and everyone turned as Sora bolted in, running towards Roxas. He grabbed his brother, pulling him off the chair and trying to drag him away to the back of the classroom.

"Sora? What are you doing?" Roxas asked, confused and a little irritated.

"Mr Strife, would you please calm down and return to your classroom!" the teacher snapped.

There came a knock at the door, and everyone turned. Roxas suddenly paled, backing away from it and automatically placing himself infront of Sora.

"Excuse me? I'm here to pick up the Strife twins," the man said, a charming smile on his face as he gazed possessively at the twins.

"Oh, are you? I'm sorry, who are you?" asked the teacher, suddenly getting suspicious.

"Just a passer by. I'd be ever so pleased if you'd let me take them."

The teacher stood. "I'm afraid I cannot allow you to take them home without parent consent."

The man's smile widened, his hand sliding into his pocket. He pulled out a gun, levelling it at the teacher.

"Yes. You can," he said.

Everyone froze, staring at the gun. The teacher shivered slightly, swallowing and eyes widening.

The man shrugged then entered the room, keeping the gun trained on the teacher as he crossed the floor to the twins. Roxas stumbled back, pushing Sora behind him as they stared at him in fear. Their backs hit the wall, and Sora glanced back briefly before turning forward again and gripping Roxas' sleeve.

"You two brats kinda messed up my career, you know. Took me a little while to get hired again," the man said conversationally as he approached them.

"G-Go away!" shouted Roxas, his fear growing stronger.

"Now that's a little rude," the man said, frowning. He stopped infront of them, towering over them, and sighed. "Well, I'm going to make it better now, at least," he added.

The boys stiffened, then he smirked and brought the gun round to point at them. They curled back, staring at it in terror.

The teacher suddenly leapt for the fire alarm, smacking it so that the fire bell rang out, making everyone jump. The man glanced up in confusion, and the twins took that moment to leap away. He cursed and turned, firing, but just missed them. Several students nearby screamed and covered their heads, shaking.

The twins bolted for the door, heading out into the corridor and running. Other students were coming out, looking around in confusion, but they leapt back to the sides or into the classrooms as the two boys raced past them. The man was quickly following them, scowling.

"Get back here you brats!" he shouted, firing.

They ducked then went faster, glancing back only briefly. The students crashed to the ground as the shots fired, cowering in fear.

As the twins raced past the drama room, the students looked out, then ducked back in as the man ran past as well.

Lea frowned, looking over at Riku. The silver haired boy nodded, crossing over to their bags and pulling out two pistols. He quickly passed one to Lea, then grabbed two comm. units and slipped one on. Lea took the other, shooting his friend a grin before they ran out of the hall.

"You make the report, Riku. The uppers like you more."

Riku rolled his eyes. "That doesn't really matter right now, but if it makes you happier, I will." He pressed the comm. in his ear. "This is Agents Ansem and Axel, reporting in."

* * *

"Mr Strife?"

Cloud looked up from where he was working, eyeing the man in front of him.

"What is it?" he asked.

"We recieved a report about your sons, sir. A man barged into the school and shot at them."

Cloud stiffened then stood up, slamming his hands down on the desk. "Get me a report now! Who do we have on the scene?!"

"We've dispatched two units sir. Mr Utada and Mr Hikari are both on the scene already as well."

Cloud gritted his teeth, then walked round from the desk. "Get me transport, pronto," he ordered.

The man nodded then hurried out of the room. Cloud glanced out of the window, fists clenched.

"I'm not letting you get hurt again, Sora, Roxas," he muttered before striding from the room.

* * *

**A/N: So, yeah. Apparently, Riku and Lea are actually secret agents! Who'da thunk it?**

**Well, I'da thunk it, actually..**

**Review?**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: This is probably the last chapter, guys. Hope we all had fun!**

* * *

Roxas spotted the door leading to the grounds and grabbed Sora's arm, dragging him towards it. He threw it open, the two of them running out. He quickly closed it before starting across the grounds, following Sora.

The door slammed open, coming off its hinges slightly, and they glanced back as the man came running out. He lifted his gun and shot, and they dodged to the side before continuing to run forward.

Suddenly Sora blinked before swerving, pulling Roxas after him. They banged slightly against the fence before running beside it, panting heavily. The man gave a smirk, turning to cut them off. He soon stopped infront of them, and they quickly came to a halt before backpeddling and trying to get away.

"Don't move," he snapped, pointing the gun at them. At such close quaters, it would definitely hit one of them.

They both went still, gazing at him in fear.

"You boys are a nuisance. It's really affected my work, did you know? All because of your silly little games."

"You think causing my brother to lose his voice is a game?" Roxas snarled, glaring at him.

The man shrugged. "I really don't care. All I know is that if I kill you two, my record gets put straight. And let's be honest; who is there to stop me?"

"Us," a voice said suddenly, and the man glanced to the side in surprise.

Lea and Riku stood on either side of the grounds, close enough to hit him but not within reach. They both held guns, pointing them at the man without a ounce of fear.

The man frowned. "And who are you?" he asked.

Lea smirked. "Axel and Ansem, at your service," he said with a flourish, the gun never moving.

"Oh ho, from the little SSS, are we?"

"That is none of your concern," Riku replied, his face betraying no emotion.

"And let me guess; is it your job to protect the two little Strife boys here?"

Roxas looked confused, glancing at them. "What..?"

"The SSS is a service for younger children founded by Mr Strife - The Strife Secret Service. They do away with the no-good evil-doers, receiving military style training on par with any professional soldier, and get assigned undercover missions. I've had the pleasure of dealing with a few of them myself," the man said.

"Well, don't you know a bit?" Lea said, though his face had become set and his eyes were cold.

"I try," the man replied with a shrug.

"Matthew Browning - Wanted in seven countries for stealing, murder, arson, drugs dealing, drug trafficking, human trafficking, breaking and entering, assaulting an officer of the law, sexual assault, abuse, and others. Mother died when he was eight. Father constantly in prison. No siblings or other relatives. Had a girlfriend, but killed her. No children. Never married. Has killed five agents so far," Riku suddenly listed off.

The man, Matthew, gazed at Riku with hard eyes. "And you appear to know quite a bit as well," he said softly.

"I try," he mimicked.

"You're an irritating kid, you know that?"

Riku shrugged. "I've been told a few times."

Matthew scowled, then glanced at the two boys infront of him. Suddenly his expression cleared, and he gave a chuckle. "Oh, I see. You're buying time."

Lea and Riku stiffened, glancing quickly at each other, and Matthew laughed.

"What a simple trick! Realise you can't take me on, do you? Or maybe you know that if you tried, I'd kill one of these kids here." His smirk grew wider as he saw their worried expressions. "Well, too little, too late," he said, then fired.

Sora threw himself at Roxas, sending them both sprawling on the floor. He quickly jumped up and leapt at Matthew, struggling against him. His gun went falling out his grip as he grappled with the brunette.

"Damn kid!" Matthew shouted, finally throwing Sora against the fence and closing his hand around his neck. Sora choked, clutching at his throat.

"Let him go!" shouted Riku, levelling the gun.

"You shoot and I'll snap his neck," Matthew snarled at him.

Roxas stared. Sora was struggling against him, but he wasn't strong enough. It was just like before...just like when they were kids. He couldn't...he couldn't do anything to protect him.

A glint caught his eye and he glanced down, spotting the gun. For a moment he hesitated, glancing back up at Sora, then his resolve strengthened and he jumped forward.

He didn't stop to think. His hand closed around the gun as he rolled, coming upright and aiming. He briefly glanced in Sora's eyes, made his decision, then pressed the trigger.

The bullet closed the space in less than a second. Matthew didn't have time to react as the bullet hit his heart, causing him to stiffen then collapse, dropping Sora. Roxas sat there for a moment, the gun in his grasp as he shivered. He just..he just killed someone. He killed a _person_.

Sora coughed, clutching at his throat as he shook his head dizzily. The sound of several police cars and a helicopter came as Riku and Lea crossed the gap, kneeling beside the two boys. Riku quickly soothed Sora, rubbing circles on his back, as Lea gently worked the gun from Roxas' grip.

Police quickly stormed the grounds, surrounding the body of Matthew. The helicopter landed and Cloud came running out, crossing the distance between him and his sons.

"Sora, Roxas!" he cried, coming to a halt beside them.

Sora looked up, giving a vague smile, still massaging his neck. Cloud looked worried, then turned to Roxas.

"What happened?" he asked.

"Matthew tried to shoot them. Sora tried to take him on, but he just started strangling him. Roxas grabbed his gun and shot him," Riku quickly explained.

Cloud sighed, then crossed over to Roxas. Lea backed away to give him space, and he hugged Roxas to him.

"You did the right thing," he murmured.

"D-Dad...I..I _killed _someone," Roxas whispered, hugging himself.

"But you did it to protect Sora. And if you hadn't, he may have hurt someone else," Cloud said quietly.

Roxas nodded slowly, and Cloud gave him a vague smile before helping him up.

"I know it's not easy. You'll overcome this though, Roxas. You're strong enough to."

Before Roxas could reply, he was suddenly engulfed in a hug. Looking down in surprise, his expression softened as he spotted a familiar mop of brown hair.

"Sora.." he murmured. Sora glanced up, their eyes meeting, then Roxas reached round and hugged him back. "Are you okay?" he asked.

Sora nodded, looking at him in concern. Roxas gave a half smile.

"I'll be okay," he promised. Sora nodded slowly, not looking convinced.

The two boys turned as Lea and Riku walked over, standing infront of them. As Cloud looked at them, they straightened, heads held high.

"We apologise, sir. We almost allowed our targets to be hurt. We take full responsiblity for this failure," Riku said.

Cloud shook his head. "You did admirably. Mr Brownings was an extremely dangerous individual; we already knew that it was unlikely the two of you would be able to handle him on your own. You have well exceeded the expectations of your mission."

"So...what are we going to do now, sir?" asked Lea hesitantly.

Roxas looked at Cloud. "They aren't going to leave, are they?" he asked quickly.

Cloud hesitated, glancing between the boys. None of them looked really keen on the idea of splitting up - except Riku, who looked like his usual stoic self. Still, his gaze flickered over to Sora, looking briefly worried.

Cloud rubbed his chin, then shrugged.

"No, they'll be staying. Mr Brownings might be gone, but I still want to be reassured that my sons are safe," he said.

The boys grinned, and Cloud straightened.

"I need to get back, to sort through all the technicalities. I'll be back home tonight though, so don't worry," he promised them. The two boys nodded, smiling, then watched as he went back to the helicopter and climbed in.

The four boys stood up, turning away as the body was carried away, and Roxas sighed.

"Well...at least that's over," he murmured.

Sora gave a grin, hugging him happily. He was pretty certain that everything would be better now; maybe Roxas would even stop having his nightmares.

* * *

A man placed his mobile back on the desk.

"Mr Brownings failed, and paid with his life," he said to the other people sitting round the table.

"I knew we shouldn't have sent him," said another, shaking his head.

"He was a very capable man. There was no reason to doubt his abilities," said a woman.

"Ha! Browning's was idiot. We send my guy next time, yes?"

"Let's see what happens next. Who knows; maybe the Strife twins will prove to be valuable assets?" murmured another man, giving a little chuckle.

"What if they end up turning against us? The entire reason we were aiming for them in first place was in case they ended up being a serious enemy," another woman pointed out.

"What do you suggest we do, sir?" asked a man, sitting next to the man at the head of the table.

He considered, gazing out into the distance before smirking.

"Well...I believe Alexei should have a chance to show off his own skills."

"But sir, if we continue to attack them, there may be no chance of them ever joining us!"

A withering glare was directed at the one who spoke out, and he shrunk in his seat.

"I-I mean...you know best, sir."

"Better. Alexei? I leave it up to you."

"Gladly, sir," grinned another man, cracking his knuckles.

* * *

**A/N: Well. I think this may be the first story which has a cliffhanger/ominous ending, rather than a definite happy one.**

**And yes. This went the same route with Roxas killing someone and freaking about it. That boy really can't get a break with me around, can he.**

**Do not worry, everyone! A sequel ****_will _****be written! I'm not sure when, and I need to plan it out a little, but it will be written. (Probably at Camp NaNoWriMo next year...)**

**Review? And thanks for reading!**


End file.
